The present invention relates to a front pillar of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a reinforcing panel of the front pillar of a vehicle to improve the strength thereof.
A pillar included to support the lateral part of a door and a roof panel in a vehicle usually comprises a front pillar, a center pillar, and a rear pillar. Generally, the structure of the front pillar supporting the front door is constructed of a front pillar inner panel and a front pillar outer panel, with the ends thereof coupled together to form the structure of a closed box in cross-section. A reinforcing member is generally included within the front pillar structure to reinforce the strength of the front pillar. Also generally included, is a front upper mounting bracket and a front hinge bracket located at the external side of the front pillar outer panel.
In the typical design of a front pillar, there can be an imbalance in strength. The internally and externally balanced strength of the front pillar is intended to support an impact. However, the reinforcing members, provide strength only toward the front pillar outer panel. As a result, the typical front pillar fails to secure a balanced support against an impact force from alternate directions. Particularly, it is common that the front hinge bracket is much stronger than the other panels that construct the front pillar and thus, a very severe imbalance of strength is established in the region of the front pillar where the front hinge bracket is located.
Still worse, the unbalanced strength results in separation of the coupling between the front pillar inner panel and the front pillar outer panel. Therefore, in collisions a deformation of the entire front pillar occurs and the front pillar is pushed or deflected into the vehicle passenger compartment thereby failing to effectively protect the passengers of the vehicle.
The present invention provides a structure of a front pillar of a vehicle to prevent the separation of the front pillar components upon an impact from a collision. Furthermore, the invention provides a structure that reduces the amount of push of the front pillar toward the interior of the vehicle, thereby effectively increasing the safety of the passengers in the vehicle.
Preferably the strengthening of the front pillar is accomplished by placing a front pillar inner reinforcing panel along an inner lateral side of a front pillar inner panel opposite the location of a front hinge bracket on a front pillar outer panel.